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Accredited dental school

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso

5001 El Paso Dr., El Paso, TX 79905

School website Health centers in Texas

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso is an accredited dental school in El Paso, TX. Dentists are trained by treating patients, which is why a dental school is often the cheapest place in a city to have a large amount of work done.

Fees at a teaching clinic are set by the school and are usually well below private practice rates, though the care is reduced-cost rather than free. In exchange, appointments are longer and treatment can take more visits than it would elsewhere. Texas has 4 accredited dental schools in total, listed on the Texas page.

Before You Call

The patient clinic is often a separate operation from the school itself, with its own number and sometimes its own building. Worth a call before you set out.

  • Is the clinic open to the public right now, and taking new patients?
  • Is a screening appointment required first, what does it cost, and how soon can you get one?
  • Which clinic would handle the treatment you need — the student clinic, a specialty clinic, or the faculty practice — and does it have its own waiting list?
  • What are the fees for that treatment, and do they include laboratory work for crowns or dentures?
  • Is your insurance or Medicaid plan accepted, and is payment due at each visit?
  • Which number reaches the patient clinic rather than the main switchboard?
  • How far ahead are they booking, and is there a cancellation list worth joining?
  • Would your case go to the student clinic or a graduate clinic, and what is the price difference between them?
  • Does the school run an emergency or walk-in session, and who is eligible for it?

What a Teaching Clinic Is Like

Dental schools usually run several clinics rather than one. Students handle routine general dentistry at the lowest fees; residents training in a specialty handle root canals, gum treatment, dentures, and oral surgery for more; faculty practices charge close to private rates.

The trade is time for money. Screening comes first and does not guarantee acceptance; appointments are two to three hours because each stage is checked; and treatment spanning several months has to work around the school calendar.

Our guide to dental schools and teaching clinics covers the screening process, how the discount works on laboratory costs, and what to ask before the first appointment in more detail.

Other Accredited Dental Schools in Texas

Texas has 4 accredited dental schools altogether. If this one is full or the wait is too long, the others are separate institutions with separate lists:

Common Questions

What happens if I have to cancel?

Missed appointments are taken seriously here, because a cancelled slot costs a student a graded case as well as costing the clinic. Several schools charge a fee or remove repeat no-shows from their patient list. Ask what the policy is at the start rather than after the first clash.

Do they take insurance or Medicaid?

Not published in a form we can confirm for this school. Schools differ widely: some bill dental plans, some are out of network, some ask for payment at each visit and give you a receipt to submit yourself. Adult dental coverage under Texas Medicaid is set at state level — our Medicaid dental page explains what to check.

What if I need a specialist the school does not have?

You would be referred out, and that referral is usually to a private specialist at full price. This is the single most common way a dental school plan falls apart, so ask at screening which parts of your treatment the school can do itself and which it cannot.

Do they treat patients with complex medical conditions?

It depends on the condition and the school. Some cases need clearance from your physician first, and a few are referred to a hospital dental service instead. Bring a current medication list and your physician’s details to screening; it is the most common reason a first appointment has to be repeated.

Is treatment free?

Usually not. Teaching clinics charge, and are best understood as substantially discounted rather than free. The lowest band is a reduced fee, not nothing. If you cannot pay anything at all, free and charitable dental care in Texas is the closer fit.

Do I need a referral from another dentist?

Generally not for the general student clinic, which you can approach directly. Some graduate specialty clinics do want a referral, particularly endodontics and oral surgery, because they take the harder cases. Ask when you call which route applies to the treatment you need.

Accreditation

Status: Approval without Reporting Requirements, next reviewed in 2032. That is a judgment on the education, not on the clinic: it says nothing about opening hours, prices or whether anyone is being taken on.

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